The mother of a 2-year-old girl has filed a lawsuit against Miss Bloomingdale’s Academy, accusing the daycare center of neglect that allegedly put her daughter's life in danger in October 2022.
According to the complaint, the toddler was not properly supervised by caregivers, enabling her to walk out of the classroom, open a back door leading to the playground, and exit the facility unnoticed for an extended period. Daycare workers only realized the child was missing when her father arrived to pick her up at the end of the day.
Video footage revealed the toddler attempting to open the daycare center’s metal door, crying and yelling as she tried to re-enter the facility. The father discovered the distressed child outside when he heard loud banging and screaming.
Veronica Reynolds, the mother of the 2-year-old, expressed concern, stating, “I just want answers on how it was possible that Miss Bloomingdale’s Academy allowed my daughter to wander outside and did not even notice she was missing for several hours. That whole situation has traumatized my young daughter and myself. As a single working mom, I trusted this daycare to keep her safe.”
The playground at Miss Bloomingdale’s Academy, located near a busy road and the Trinity Elm Fork River, raised further alarm. The suit highlighted a damaged section of the playground fence with an opening large enough for a toddler to fit through, posing risks such as potential drowning, oncoming traffic accidents, or abduction.
A state investigation into the incident found Miss Bloomingdale’s Academy in violation of daycare safety laws. The center allegedly failed to conduct proper headcounts, document children being transferred between the playground and classrooms, adequately supervise the children, and maintain playground equipment and fencing.
“Plain and simple: Miss Bloomingdale’s ignored multiple state safety laws that neglected and endangered the life of an innocent toddler,” says Texas daycare injury attorney Russell Button of The Button Law Firm, who represents Reynolds and her daughter. “Closely watching children is a basic skill of child care. Hard-working parents like our client should not have to fear for their child’s safety at a local daycare center and we are thankful nothing catastrophic happened to her.”
The case is Veronica Reynolds, Individually and next friend of C.R., a minor child, vs. Miss Bloomingdale’s Academy, Inc., Cause No. CC-24-00284-E in Dallas County, Texas. A copy of the complaint can be accessed here.
